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Earlier today, when I visited the post office, I noticed something that had not crossed my mind before. There were a few people standing there, waiting in the long queue with their Amazon boxes to return the online purchases they had made.
Then I wondered, “What happens to those returns? How much is this going to cost in terms of actually returning the items?”
Returning a product might seem to be a simple thing. When someone does not like a product, they stick it into a box and send it back. And if it costs nothing to return it, we forget about the logistics and the actual journey that the product undertakes.
The product would have been made, packed and then delivered to you. After that, it goes back to a storage place where it will be checked, repacked and sent somewhere else.
Amazon used to destroy some returned and unsold products, as it was apparently cheaper, but now Amazon claims that it makes every effort to reuse, repair and sell the products that have been sent back by customers. It is also stated by the company that its charity initiatives donate millions of products to people in need.
Now, this is a much better solution than throwing away something that might still be useful. However, even if the product has been re-sold or given away, it remains part of a large cycle of production and consumption.
Interestingly enough, recent research supports my point of view. A 2026 study that examined nearly 10,000 online shoppers across ten European countries found that frequent returners make up only around 15% of all shoppers, but they account for around 60% of all CO₂ emissions related to returns.
Moreover, the research shows that the convenience of online shopping promotes impulse buying, which can lead to more returns.
It reminded me of the people I’d seen in the post office holding their Amazon packages. What looks like a simple return is actually part of a bigger process that affects our environment.
We need to start asking not only the companies how they deal with returns, but we also need to ask ourselves:
Did I really need to make the purchase in the first place?
References:
Rai, H.B., Cauwelier, K. and Lebeau, P. (2026). Consumer heterogeneity behind e-commerce returns and emissions. ScienceDirect
Amazon UK (2026). Inside Amazon’s UK returns centre.
Amazon UK
